LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — A replacement has been named for Lincoln County Rep. Jason Saine who announced his resignation from the North Carolina General Assembly last week.
Heather Hager Rhyne will fill Saine's seat in Raleigh. Rhyne currently serves as the chair of the Lincoln County Board of Education. She will run unopposed for the seat in November's election. North Carolina GOP House Caucus Director Stephen Wiley announced Rhyne's appointment.
Saine was first elected to the House in 2011 and won reelection six times. His resignation will become official on Aug. 12. Saine, a Republican, was best known for leading the charge to legalize mobile sports gambling in North Carolina. He also earned recognition for fighting against puppy mills early in his tenure.
Saine's resignation comes after the House and Senate were unable to pass a budget update during the 2024 session despite having a supermajority.
"It's pretty darn frustrating," Saine told WRAL last week. "You spend six months of your life trying to get to a final result and the final result is no budget. That's no fun."
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